A Kind Word
by My Kind of Paradise
Summary: Megumi had never really spoken to Rock Lee until the day of their academy graduation. Little did she know that a few encouraging words would change both their lives. Eventual LeeXOC, rated T for ninja violence. ON HIATUS!
1. Graduates

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, and I also don't think that you think that I do. **

**Author's Note: Yeah, this is a story about me expressing my inner Lee fan girl. I've never understood why he doesn't get as much credit as the other guys. I mean, guys like Sasuke and Itachi are pretty good looking, but they have horrible attitudes. I wouldn't want to date one of them. Sasuke would ditch a girl for a gay pedophile and Itachi would probably only date a girl within his clan and then kill her. Lee is nice to everyone, even squirrels! How could you not like a sweetheart like him? Well, that's enough of my rant. Enjoy the story and please review.**

* * *

Today was a special day, even though you may not have been able to tell from looking at Hottan Megumi. Megumi was acting the same that she did everyday. She was at the Academy before anyone else. She took her usual seat by the window and took out a thick book to read. No one thought twice about this as they entered the room and took seats beside their friends, chatting happily.

Megumi finished the last page of the book and sighed, satisfied with the ending of the book she had been reading all week. She looked at the books inside her desk; besides the standard academy textbook, there were her own notebooks where she kept information she wanted to remember. She would be taking these with her if things went right today. Today was special because it was the day of the Konoha Shinobi Academy's yearly graduation exam. Today, the students in this class would be given a test of their potential shinobi skills. At the front of the room, twenty new, shiny hitai-ate, or forehead protectors, were lined up on a small table neatly in five rows of four, one headband for each potential graduate.

_I guess that that one will be mine, _Megumi thought, looking at the first headband in the second row. In alphabetical order, she was eighth in her class. _Wow, my very own forehead protector. _

Their class's main teacher, a young woman named Kotone, entered the room quietly. Immediately, every person in the room was silenced. Kotone was a beautiful young woman, only twenty, but she had been their teacher from the beginning. She had thick, dark-red, pixie-cut hair and pretty gray eyes. The entire class respected Kotone. Girls admired her for being a strong and beautiful kunoichi, and most boys just thought that she was hot. Only a few of the students, like Megumi and a boy, knew how really compassionate their sensei was.

"Good morning, everyone," Kotone said, smiling around at all of them.

As a group, the class chorused, "Good morning, Kotone-sensei!"

_I'm going to miss Kotone-sensei, _Megumi thought suddenly. _She's been a really great teacher. _

"As you all know, today is a very important day. We will be giving a practical examination today to determine who graduates from the academy. I am happy to tell you that every one of you did well on the written portion of the test, which means that everyone will be participating." Her smile grew. "I wish you all the best of luck."

* * *

"I'm impressed. It seems we will have an excellent graduating class this year," Kotone said. "Now, I know that you are all ready to go out and play, but we have to have one more demonstration. I want you to show me your best clone technique when I call you forward. After I give you your headband, you will need to stay in the classroom until I dismiss you. Understood?" The class agreed.

Megumi waited patiently for her turn. Watching as seven classmates went ahead of her, she felt herself move to the edge of her seat as her excitement grew stronger. It seemed like it would be forever before she would get to take her shot at the jutsu.

Finally, Kotone called, "Hottan Megumi, it's your turn."

Walking down the layered areas of the room to the bottom, she went a little too quickly and tripped over her own two feet. There were a bunch of snickers from the seated children, which Kotone silenced with a venomous glare around the room. When Megumi stood back up, her hands stung a little bit, and she saw that she'd skinned them when she caught herself. She dusted herself off and tried to pretend like nothing happened, though her cheeks were burning. As she walked into the center of the class, she thought, _this is it. _

She took a deep breath and began to prepare her chakra. Concentrating on accuracy, she made the hand seals. Releasing the right amount of chakra for three clones, she muttered under her breath, "Clone Technique." There was a puff of smoke, and when she looked behind her, three good-looking clones were standing there, waiting for instruction. Megumi's sensei smiled.

"Good job, Megumi-chan." She said it no differently than she did for anyone else, but it seemed more meaningful to Megumi. She handed the girl a forehead protector, smiling like she did for everyone. The lilac-haired girl grasped at the cool metal happily and went contentedly up to her seat.

_I did it! I'm a Genin now! I can't believe it! _

She watched the next boy in the class, Hyuga Neji, perform a flawless technique and earn his headband. The next was another girl, a brunette named Tenten. _Only three more to go, _she thought as Tenten took her seat with her own headband. The tenth in the class, a boy named Rock Lee, took the center stage next.

An unexpected sorrow filled her when she saw him. _He's not going to graduate. He may never, _she thought forlornly. _He can't do any ninjutsu or genjutsu. Taijutsu alone would be hard to master thoroughly enough to be a shinobi based off of. Poor Lee…He may never accomplish his dream. _The idea was depressing to her, and she tried to push it away.

Instead, she watched as Lee made every seal with no faults. The boy squeezed his eyes shut, trying to force his chakra to work correctly for just this once. Instead of getting a bunch of beat-up clones like some others did when they failed the jutsu, his resulted in a puff of smoke and no clone at all. The boy's shoulders sank dejectedly when he saw the nothing behind him. Megumi frowned, but Kotone smiled.

"Good job, Lee-kun." She said. She turned towards the table and gave Lee a forehead protector. The boy looked up, large eyebrows furrowing in confusion. She smiled at him and made a motion for him to return to his seat, and so he went.

_I wonder what she did that for. She might get in trouble for that later, _Megumi thought, _But regardless, it was really nice. I'm glad he'll still get his chance. Maybe his dream will come true. I hope so. _

No body was really paying attention as the last few members of the group passed their examinations. Most of the students were trying to understand why Kotone had passed Rock Lee on to geninhood. Some, like the school bullies, twin boys named Ichirou and Jirou, looked indignant that he had graduated. Others seemed a bit amused, like Hyuga Neji and Tenten. Some didn't seem to mind, one way or another; they just wanted to understand. But Megumi was the only one who was really and truly happy for the boy, regardless of the reasoning of his graduation.

"Now that everybody's graduated, I want to congratulate you all once again. It has taken a lot of hard work to master all of the difficult things that you had to learn in order to graduate. I'm proud to be – or, I suppose since you've graduated, have been - your sensei." Kotone looked at all of them warmly, pride glowing in her smiling face.

"Tomorrow will be the day of your Orientation, as I'm sure you've all figured out by now. You will be sorted into teams and each team will be assigned a new sensei." She smiled again. "You are dismissed. I'll see you all tomorrow."

The kids scurried out of the room, with some mutters and calls of "Bye, Kotone-sensei!" and "See you tomorrow, sensei!" tossed over their shoulders. Only Megumi and Lee remained lagging behind, getting out the door at almost the same time. Lee was ahead of Megumi, and she suddenly wanted to talk to him.

"Hey, Lee-san," she called to him. He stopped, shocked, and turned back towards her.

"Yes, Megumi-san?" He asked curiously; they had never really had much interaction. He stopped and waited until she caught up with him.

"I..." she looked for the right words. "I'm glad that you graduated, too." She smiled slightly. "You deserve that forehead protector."

He looked shocked for a minute. He reached up to touch the metal plate on the fabric of the forehead protector. Then, he smiled. "Thank you, Megumi-san."

"You're welcome." She looked at him. Both she and Lee had been the victims of bullying more than their fair share, but unlike Lee, she had been given some kindness from the other girls in the class. He had gotten no slack from anyone, and even though everyone knew that some people would beat him up for his dream occasionally after class, he still held on to it. "I just thought that you should know."

"M-megumi-s-san…"He closed his eyes, and she saw tears on his cheeks. He wiped them away with the sleeve of his robe-like shirt. "I'm sorry. You just have no idea how much this means to me."

_You're right, _the golden-eyed girl thought, _I don't. It was only one compliment; it shouldn't mean so much. _

She observed his face, not for the first time. It was a round, babyish face with large round eyes. His oversized black eyebrows gave him an almost clownish look, and his black, braided hair was so glossy that it looked like it might be made of plastic. His dream was so close to unreachable that others scorned him for it, yet he had never given it up. Megumi was certain that he never would, either. He was definitely of the oddest people in the village, but she found herself with an overwhelming urge to be his friend.

_I _will_ become your friend, _she thought at the boy, _Because you deserve to have at least one._


	2. Meet The Team

**Wow…I took forever to write this chapter. Sorry about that, but I've been having technical difficulties and I need to get my own computer. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I only own Megumi and her sister. **

* * *

The next morning, Megumi wasn't the first person at the academy; Rock Lee was. Megumi arrived to find the boy sitting on the steps outside the door with an anticipating expression on his face. When she met up with him, she smiled at the dark-haired boy. He seemed surprised that she had arrived so early, but seemed pleased that she was there.

"The doors are locked, right?" she inquired cheerfully. Lee looked at her and nodded. She sat beside him. "Then we'll just have to wait here until Kotone-sensei or another teacher arrives."

He looked at her in curiosity. "Does this happen often?"

"About once or twice a week." She shrugged calmly. "It's not so bad. Soon, somebody or another will come along with the keys and open the door. Once, when I was seven, all the teachers were late and the Hokage himself came. He was so surprised that I was here. He asked me if I was always here so early. I told him that I was. Then he asked me why, and I said that I didn't want to be late. He laughed."

Lee smiled at her, and for a moment, Megumi was smiling back at him. Unfortunately, a voice broke into the moment that made the smiles wipe off their faces instantly.

"Isn't that cute?" the voice of Jirou cooed. "Look at that, Nii-san. Lovebirds!"

"I know. It's adorable." The older of the two fair-haired brothers gushed. "The dropout and the bookworm. Who would have thought?"

Megumi looked down at the steps, blushing. _I'm not going to give them the satisfaction of replying to that, and Lee shouldn't, either._The boy looked at Megumi. Then, angrily, he stood and waltzed towards the pair of boys.

"You are mistaken," he defied loudly. "We are not lovebirds. We were merely having a conversation until you interrupted."

"Is that so?" Jirou pushed Lee. He fell onto the ground hard. The brothers laughed and exchanged a high-five. Lee stared up at them from the ground with an expression Megumi had seen on his face fairly often while he was being bullied: it was a look full of hurt and, instead of anger, sadness. It was that sadness the pushed her to do something she shouldn't have.

She stood up and glared at the twins from the steps. "Leave him alone," she said in a piercing, acidic tone. Lee looked at her, a shocked expression on his face. It was very unlike Megumi to have a tone so sharp or so loud. She usually spoke softly.

The shorter twin smirked. "Why should we?"

Megumi did something that she had never done before. She walked straight to Jirou and, without a second thought, kneed him hard in his private area. Jirou swore shrilly and dropped onto the ground, wincing. Megumi considered kicking him while he was down, but she decided he'd probably had enough for now and turned to look at his brother.

Megumi suddenly felt like chuckling at the other twin's expression. _He looks stupid right now, _she thought, _with his mouth hanging open. I always knew that they were both all muscle and no brain. What twits._

Ichirou's mouth closed suddenly, an angry look coming into his eyes. One arm raised, he reached towards the lavender-haired girl menacingly. She closed her eyes tightly, bracing herself for the blow. She shielded her face with her arms and waited for the attack.

"Ichirou, what _are _you doing?" a woman's voice demanded from behind the group of genin. They all looked to see Kotone, as well as a small crowd of other students and a few other teachers. One of the other teachers was Kotone's age, with tanned skin, dark hair, and a distinctive scar across his face. He was Umino Iruka, the main instructor for the class below Megumi's. He was glaring rather harshly at Ichirou.

"You weren't going to hit her, were you, Ichirou-kun?" Iruka demanded icily.

Ichirou's face turned angelic. His blue eyes widened as if shocked by the accusation. "I would never do something like that, Sensei!"

Neither Kotone nor Iruka seemed assured. Kotone asked, "Then why was your arm raised, and why does Megumi-chan look so scared?"

"He was too going to hit her!" Lee piped up from his position on the ground. He stood up quickly. Kotone and Iruka looked back to Ichirou, eyes narrowed.

He raised his arms in a defensive posture. "Okay, so maybe I was going to hit her, but she kicked my brother!"

"Yeah, she did!" Jirou said, coming quickly to his brother's aid. He stood up beside him. Megumi glared at him and tried to resist the urge to knee him again.

"First," she said slowly. "I didn't kick him; I kneed him, which is like kicking, but with the knee instead of the foot. Second, I only did it because he pushed Lee-san and then when I told them to leave him alone, they were rude!"

None of the assembled teachers or students had ever seen the girl look so annoyed. Actually, she seemed to be more than irritated; she seemed flat-out pissed off. Some of the more timid students of the academy found themselves the sudden urge to back away slowly. But Kotone smiled at the girl and her fuzzy-browed companion.

"I see," she murmured softly. She turned to Iruka. "I need to make some last-minute adjustments. Can you please keep an eye on them so that they don't get into more trouble?"

"Sure," he nodded, eyeing the twins as if he expected them to do something stupid. They both gave him a look of false innocence that seemed to say, 'Us? Never!' He shook his head at them and pushed past the crowd towards the doors. He stood back as a flood of children rushed past him and into their classrooms and followed them.

Megumi and Lee were left outside, alone again. Without a word, they followed their fellow rookies and academy students and entered the building. When they got to their classroom, Megumi slid into her regular seat.

"Lee-san, you can sit by me, if you want to." She smiled at the boy. He blinked at her. _Oh no. He looks hurt. What could he possibly be hurt about? I didn't say anything, did I? _She thought about it hard. _No, I don't think so. What could be wrong with him? _

"You mean, you're not, well, mad at me?"

It was Megumi's turn to be confused. "No, of course not. What makes you think that I'm mad at you?"

"Well, when Ichirou and Jirou called us 'lovebirds,' you acted a bit ashamed to be seen with me. You looked down and didn't say anything," he said softly, "And I thought..."

She interrupted. "I was trying to ignore the twins; they quit sooner if you don't pay attention to them." Her face softened into a gentle smile. "I was never mad at you, Lee-san."

His smile back was astoundingly bright and he sat down beside her. She smiled to herself, _I'm glad he's here beside me, but what exactly am I supposed to do to make him my friend now?_ She racked her brain for everything she thought a friend should do. _Let's see…I stood up for him, I encouraged him, and I invited him to sit by me…So far, so good. What else should I do? _She had never really tried to make friends before, and she had no idea how to do it. _Well, conversation might be a good start on step two._

"I wonder where Kotone-sensei went off to," she stated. "I mean, she just got here and then she left again!"

"Yes," Lee agreed. "What could be so important that she would leave so suddenly?"

* * *

"Hokage-sama," Kotone bowed at the man behind the desk. He nodded at her curtly.

"What can I do for you, Kotone-san?" The man said, his wrinkled face becoming both knowledgeable and curious. Kotone had always wondered how he managed to do that. It was as if he knew what she was going to say and yet was still interested in the question.

"I think that a change should be made regarding the members of Maito's Gai's new team."

The Hokage raised his eyebrows. "And why do you think that?"

"There was an incident this morning involving Hottan Megumi, Rock Lee, and Fukui Ichirou and Jirou." Kotone sighed. "It ended with Jirou and Lee on the ground and Ichirou trying to hit Megumi. Iruka and I happened to arrive in time to stop him, but the encounter raised some questions in my mind."

"How exactly did Lee and Jirou end up on the ground?" Sarutobi asked the young woman calmly.

"Apparently, Ichirou or Jirou- I'm not quite sure which- pushed Lee on the ground and Megumi defended him by attacking Jirou, though he wasn't seriously hurt."

Unexpectedly, the Hokage chuckled at the redhead's story. "Did she really? I wondered how long it would be before she snapped and did something like that."

"Hokage-sama, I don't think that Megumi should be placed on the same team with the twins after all. The boys hold grudges; they won't forget this morning's incident easily." She cleared her throat. "I think that she should be placed on Gai's team with Lee and Hyuuga Neji. We could swap her and Tenten easily; Tenten has never had any problems with Ichirou or Jirou and is someone that the two of them couldn't intimidate easily."

"Are you sure that it would be a good idea?" the Hokage said quietly.

Kotone nodded and said, "Yes. I think that it would be a better match for her, regarding the teammates. I don't think the girl could survive if both her teammates hated her guts. She hasn't had any negative experiences with either of the other two."

"I personally have no problem with the swap, but what about Gai? Shouldn't he have a say in all of this?" The Hokage inquired. Kotone beamed at him, and for a moment, even the wisest man she knew was dazzled.

"I spoke to Gai just a little while before I entered this building. He was doing some insane training exercise, but I got him to stop." She smiled at the thought of the man parading around Konoha on his hands. "I explained the situation to him as well as my idea. He told me that it was alright with him and gave me his special pose. He said, 'It doesn't matter who I am teaching, for I will teach my students the true power of youth!' And then he said a lot more about the power of youth, but I wasn't listening anymore."

The Hokage shrugged. "Very well then, Kotone-san. Do what you think is best."

Kotone smiled. "Thank you, Hokage-sama. I will."

* * *

When Kotone walked into the room thirty minutes late, she saw a large group of seemingly happy and talkative students. She saw Rock Lee wasn't in his usual seat, and she was a bit alarmed until she saw him conversing lightly with Megumi. It seemed like he was telling her a joke that she found quite funny. Kotone smiled, sure that she had done the right thing in swapping Tenten for the other girl. As she walked to the center of the room, she smiled at the class.

"Good morning everyone," she started. Everyone turned to look at her. "I'm sorry that I'm so late, but I had to make some last minute preparations. Without further distractions, we shall begin to sort the genin teams.

She began to list the teams, one team at a time, until every team except on had been counted for. Halfway through, she said, "Team Five: Hyuuga Neji, Hottan Megumi, and Rock Lee."

Like every time a team was called, the other students twisted in their seats to look at the members of Team Five. Only this time, Megumi seemed to get a lot of loathing looks from the other girls in the class. Of course, they had never expected Megumi to end up on Neji's team. Most of the girls in the class had assumed that Tenten would be with Neji, including Megumi. Tenten, on the other hand, had a depressed look on her face as she half-smiled at Megumi in congratulations.

_They think that I'm going to be after him now. As if! I don't have any issues with Neji, but he and I just would not fit together that way. _

Neji himself didn't seem to be upset to have her on the team. His pale, displeased eyes were focused on Lee beside her, but Lee was too busy smiling with pleasure at her to notice Neji's death glare. Megumi wanted to chuckle a little when she thought of something her mother used to tell her, "_If a Hyuuga isn't pleased, he's displeased. Beware of the moody Hyuugas, Megumi-chan!"_

"Megumi-san," Lee said loudly. "I am so happy that we're on the same team! Not everyone gets to be on a team with their best friend, you know!"

Megumi smiled brightly at him and nodded, but her breath caught. _Did he just say best friend? Wow. That was really fast. It hasn't even been a full day since I promised myself I would become your friend. Isn't it supposed to take years to build up a solid friendship or whatever? I've never been someone's best friend before. I hope I don't mess up. _

"Yeah. It's great, Lee-san." She smiled. "But since we're good friends now, you don't have to call me Megumi-san anymore. Just Megumi-chan or Megumi would be better. And if it's alright, I can call you Lee-kun."

"Of course, Megumi-chan!" Lee beamed at her, pleased with the request. Meanwhile, Kotone had finished the listing of the teams and the senseis had begun to arrive. One of them, a man with a black bowl cut and eyebrows that were even bigger than Lee's who was wearing a green suit Megumi could have sworn was made out of rubber, started towards she and the boys that were now her teammates. His forehead-protector was worn on a piece of red cloth in a belted style. The man's outfit was finished off by a pair of standard shinobi shoes and vibrant orange leg warmers.

"Ah, I am sure that this youthful looking bunch must be my students!" The man said, giving the group of surprised youngsters a thumb up and a large smile. His teeth were sparkling brightly and a pinging noise echoed throughout the room, and Megumi was momentarily stunned by the display. She wondered briefly what kind of toothpaste this guy used.

"Are you the sensei of Team Five?" Neji asked. He was sounding very indifferent, though Megumi could have sworn there was something in his eyes that gave the impression of irritation.

"Well, yes. I am Maito Gai, your new sensei! But Team Five is such a boring name. From now on, it shall be called Team Gai, after yours truly!" Another bright, chiming smile was flashed at the children. "I shall train the three of you to be three of the best shinobi in the land by harnessing the power of youth!"

Neji sighed disapprovingly, Megumi fidgeted in her seat embarrassedly, and Lee looked at the man, obviously awe-struck and curious at his sensei. The sight of Lee's captivation made Megumi sweat-drop inwardly. She felt incredibly awkward sitting between the two boys with such diverse reactions. She was just thankful that no one asked about this "power of youth."

Gai, oblivious to the reactions of the students, proclaimed, "Now, my students, let us take our leave so that we may discuss ourselves!"

The three youngsters followed their teacher out of the room and through the halls of the academy. Soon, they were out on a shaded balcony. There was a bench-like seat that curved with the edge of the balcony. Each of the kids sat, Lee and Neji on the far sides and Megumi in the middle. Gai smiled at them again.

"Now, I want you to each tell me your name and your dream!" He looked at Lee expectantly before his curious gaze feel over the other two. His stare settled on Megumi. "As we are all gentlemen here, we shall do this in proper order. Ladies first!"

Megumi shifted, settling into a position in which she crossed her ankles and pressed her palms against the seat. "Um, okay. My name is Hottan Megumi, and my dream is...well…" She pushed a piece of hair behind her ear self-consciously. "I'm not entirely sure that I even have one, Sensei."

"What?!" Gai sputtered at the young kunoichi. "Surely, there is something or another that you would like to do or be, Megumi-chan! Anything at all would be better than having no goals!"

Megumi blushed. "Well, if I have to have one," she muttered, thinking about what she could possibly want to be or do. An idea popped into her mind. She smiled hesitantly. "Actually, I've always liked the idea of being a medical shinobi, being able to heal a comrade as well as to harm an enemy."

Gai nodded approvingly at the kunoichi. "That's much better." He smiled, before he turned to Neji. "You next."

"My name is Hyuuga Neji, and I'd rather not talk about my dreams."

Gai blinked, but said nothing. _He looks disappointed, _Megumi thought, _it must be a bit of a let down that neither of us seems to have a lot of ambition. He won't be unsatisfied when he hears Lee, though. _Gai looked at the boy with interest and nodded.

"My name is Rock Lee, and my dream is to show that I can be a splendid ninja, even though I can't use ninjutsu or genjutsu!"

Megumi smiled to herself, and then frowned when she heard a chuckle from Neji. She turned towards him automatically, as did Lee.

"That's impossible," Neji said his eyes closed as he smirked. "A shinobi that can't use ninjutsu or genjutsu would be an inevitable failure. Your destiny is to be a failure."

"No!" Lee said loudly. "I will do it!"

"How do you know that it's his destiny to fail, Neji-san?" Megumi said suddenly, her eyes locking into Neji's. "As far as I know, not even Byakugan users can see the future."

Neji made a huffing noise and shook his head disdainfully at his teammate's retort. Lee smiled at Megumi shyly and his eyes said, 'Thank you for standing up for me again.' Megumi smiled back in a way that said, 'Don't mention it.'

'That is an excellent dream, Lee-kun!" Gai's smile was once again dazzling. "Now, it is my turn! My name, as I have told you already, is Maito Gai, and my dream is to help you all succeed in your dreams!

"But though I have tremendous faith that the three of you will make fine genin, I must tell you something," Gai paused for dramatic effect. "Please do not be too terrified."

"What is it, Gai-sensei?" Lee inquired, his eyes widening.

"Tomorrow, the three of you will be tested by yours truly. Of all the many of this year's graduates, only nine will get to become genin," Gai told the group. "The rest will be sent back to the academy."

Neji's eyes opened, his eyebrows rising slightly. Lee looked absolutely horror-struck, his mouth hanging open comically. Megumi was bewildered. _What does he mean? Go back to the academy? There's no way that they would do that! Or would they?_ She raised her hand to push a piece of straight lilac hair behind her ear. The instant she let her hand drop, the lock drifted back into its usual place in front of her right eye.

"Sensei, you can't be serious, can you?" she almost whimpered. "W-we already graduated! They even gave us headbands and everything!"

"But they can also take those things away from you, Megumi-chan," Gai informed his female student, looking at her wisely.

Megumi fingered the piece of metal and cloth that she had tied around her forehead. The idea of handing it in was utterly petrifying to her. She just couldn't imagine having to hand it over and become an academy student again. She looked at Neji beside her, and then at Lee, who was likewise running his fingers over his own headband. Suddenly, she had epiphany. If they were sent back to the academy, she could always graduate again, but Lee wouldn't have it that easy. No other teacher would be nearly as sympathetic as Kotone-sensei.

_I can't let that happen, _she reflected. _As his friend, I won't let his dreams die like that, which means that I am going to do whatever I have to tomorrow to make us succeed. _

"Now then," Gai continued. "Tomorrow morning, I want you all to meet me in front of training ground twenty six at eight sharp." He gave them another thumb up accompanied by one more "Until then, my students!"

"Goodbye, Gai-sensei!" Megumi and Lee began in unison, only to witness their sensei disappear in a puff of smoke before they were finished. Neji had simply nodded in acknowledgement of the jounin's words, and he didn't look nearly as foolish when Gai left. The three were left sitting a bit too close for comfort on the bench. Neji stood up and began to walk away without a word, and the girl and the other boy were alone.

Megumi got up slowly and turned so that she was facing Lee. She attempted to smile at him, but she knew that it didn't turn out well. She suddenly felt a desperate urge to say something encouraging or intelligent. Instead, she just said softly, "See you tomorrow, Lee-kun."

He stood up as well, faster than she did. "You, too, Megumi-chan!" He smiled at her brightly. "You'll see," he told her almost fiercely. "Everything will be alright." Megumi wasn't convinced; he didn't look like he believed it himself.

* * *

As the lilac-haired girl entered the old Hottan clan compound and walked towards the head family's house, all she could think about was the upcoming test and how much it worried her. Opening the door to the home she shared with her sister, she took off her shoes and stepped into her kitchen. Her sister was sitting at the table, drinking tea while reading a book. Megumi sat across from her and her sister looked up at her, smiling.

Megumi looked similar to her sister, Takara. Both had the very distinctive golden eyes of one born into the Hottan clan as well as delicate features and light skin of the clan. Takara's hair, like Megumi's, was close to shoulder-blade length and curved inward slightly, though she did not have a single lock of hair that was forever in her face. They did not have the same hair color, however; Takara's hair was a steel-blue color instead of lavender.

"So tell me, Imouto," Takara said. She took another sip of tea before grabbing a new cup from the nearby counter and pouring a cup of tea. She handed it to Megumi, who took a drink gratefully. "Who are your teammates and your sensei? Do you like them? If you do, then why do you look so down?"

"My sensei is Maito Gai…" Megumi started, only to be interrupted by her sister's sudden burst of hysterical laughter. She frowned. "What's so funny?"

"_Gai _is your _sensei_?" Takara chuckled to herself. "I can't believe that they're actually going to let him teach a group of students!"

Megumi's frown intensified. "Why? What's wrong with Gai-sensei?" she inquired stonily. Takara wiped a tear from the corner of her eye and struggled to put on a more serious face. In the end, she still had a small smile on her face.

"Okay, okay." she sighed contentedly, like someone who had just finished laughing at a really, really good joke. "Gai's really strange, Imouto. Some people, me included, tend to think that he's a bit cuckoo. The way he dresses and styles his hair is one thing," she continued, "But his personality is so off the wall. He lives by his own totally out-there rules, such as punishing himself for breaking a promise by assigning himself a ridiculous task, such as walking on his hands around the village so many times. I saw him doing that this morning, as a matter of fact. He tends to go on and on about something he calls the 'power of youth' at times. And he has this thing he does at times." Takara chuckled to herself again. "He calls it his 'nice guy pose.' Really, he just gives a thumbs up and smiles with over-bleached teeth."

_Great, _Megumi thought as Takara paused for a drink, _Nee-san's in gossip mode. _She nodded attentively and sipped her own tea. _Now she's going to tell me every thing she knows about Gai-sensei. _

"Another important thing about Gai is that he's a taijutsu specialist," Takara went on. "It's not that he doesn't have the ability to use ninjutsu or genjutsu, like that boy from your class; he actually just doesn't like to use it, though he is known to perform a summoning at times. He's so into the whole taijutsu thing that whenever he needs to disguise himself, he uses actual costumes rather than a transformation jutsu. He's the self-proclaimed rival of the Copy Ninja, and though he's really odd, my sources tell me that he graduated the academy when he was only seven and he was a chunin by age eleven. Also, he-"

"Nee-san," Megumi interrupted. "Why do you know so much about Gai-sensei?"

Takara grinned. "Well, Imouto, I _am_Hottan Takara, wielder of the almighty Konseki, special jounin and ANBU specialist in the fields of espionage and assassination as well as reporter extraordinaire. Besides, Gai is a relatively well-known jounin, and he's actually quite interesting." Her smile grew impossibly large. "His antics are very, very funny to watch, however, I wouldn't want him as a sensei."

_Great, _Megumi thought, feeling her face fall. _I have a hilarious sensei that my own sister thinks is crazy. That's lovely. Maybe I'll learn to be a comedian ninja, one who defeats her opponents by telling them bad jokes about the power of you. _

"Well, anyway," Megumi started quickly. "My teammates are Hyuuga Neji and Rock Lee."

"Oh, the Hyuuga prodigy and the boy who has no talent for ninjutsu or genjutsu are your teammates?" Takara raised her blue eyebrows. "That's an peculiar match for you, considering that the team seems to be based around taijutsu. You're not exactly the best at hand to hand combat, are you, Imouto?"

"No, I'm not." Megumi frowned slightly at the thought. She had always known that she was too uncoordinated to be a real top-notch taijutsu user; she had struggled greatly to be proficient during the lessons of the academy days. Her inability to make a prefect score during those lessons was the reason that she was the second rookie when it came to grades. "But maybe I could get a little better at it, if I'm taught more of it," she said in a tone that was meant to be hopeful. Really, it was pretty downcast.

"Well, do you like your teammates?"

"Well, pretty much. I mean," she shrugged, "Neji's pretty much bearable, and Lee…well…Lee's..." _Why am I blushing? _"Lee is really nice," she finished lamely. "Lately, we've been talking more, and I guess that we're friends now."

Takara smiled knowingly, but didn't say anything. She nodded, motioning for Megumi to continue. Before the younger girl did, she looked down.

"The only thing is," she concluded. "That tomorrow, we're being tested to see if Gai-sensei thinks we're really ready to be shinobi or not. I guess I'm kinda worried about it." She looked up at her sister. "Could you maybe help me train some tonight, Nee-san?"

"Sure, Imouto."

The two sisters spent the rest of the night preparing for Team Gai's test the next day.


	3. Duck And Cover

**I want to thank everyone who has reviewed so far. I really appreciate all of the comments, and I'm glad that so far, they've all been so positive. I hope that everyone who reads it enjoys it, but if you don't, please tell me what could be better. Thanks!  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_**Naruto**_**. **

The next morning, Megumi, in a quest to be prepared for whatever Gai threw at her, was up at five in the morning preparing for the test. She put a lot of careful consideration into her attire. She couldn't wear the outfit that she had worn to the academy; the material and shape of the white dress was all wrong for any kind of real fighting. She couldn't wear the outfit she wore whenever she trained with Takara in the compound; the shorts were too short and the top's straps were too thin to be really appropriate to wear around anyone but her sister. She eventually selected a plain, short-sleeved red shirt, an apple-green jacket, and a pair of black pants that came a few inches longer than her knee. She put her hair up with a black clip, and the last thing she did was grab her watch.

Before she left, she was once again in the kitchen with her sister. Takara was also packing for a mission, and she would arrive home in two days. As Megumi prepared a bento box, she noticed that her sister was looking at her wistfully. She looked at Takara. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

The older girl smiled with the wistful look still in her eyes. "I was just think about how just over six years ago, I was walking you to the academy for the first time and now you're getting ready for your first training session with your team. You've really grown up, Imouto. I just hadn't noticed it much till now." She continued to smile. "That's all."

The twelve-year-old nodded, then went on packing her lunch. She suddenly realized something. "Just over six years ago, you graduated the academy, too, right? Just a week or so after I started, you graduated, right?"

"Yeah, that's about right," Takara murmured softly, almost as if under her breath.

Megumi closed the lid of the box, and after making sure that it was sealed nice and tight, she put down and walked to the refrigerator. Neither of the young women said a word as Megumi made and drank a glass of milk and the pair had a quiet meal of omelets and rice. Eventually, the younger stood, grabbed the box, and walked towards the door. Sitting on the doorstep, she slid her navy sandals on and got the box from the counter nearest the door. Takara watched as she stood up.

"You're going, then?"

"Yeah, I guess so." She smiled softly at her sister. "Goodbye, Nee-san. Good luck on your mission."

Takara's responding grin was stunning. In one swift movement, she had stood up and arrived at Megumi's side. Megumi's stomach knotted a little in jealousy as she noted how quick and graceful her sister was. The temporary fit of envy passed rapidly as Takara gave her little sister a hug. "Good luck with your team, Imouto. I'll see you when I get back the day after tomorrow. Make us proud, okay?"

Megumi nodded. "I will."

Takara ended the embrace, taking a few steps back. She continued with to grin as she said, "Get out of here, kid."

Megumi beamed, turning back towards the door. Over her shoulder, she called, "Bye, Nee-san!" Takara shook her head, watching the girl sprint away with unexpected vigor.

* * *

_Okay, _Megumi thought, walking along the narrow street. _Gai-sensei said grounds twenty six. I've passed twenty through twenty three, so twenty six should be right ahead. _

She silently thanked Kami for the numbered signs by the entranceways to each training grounds, otherwise she would have no idea which direction to go in. She didn't often use the public training grounds; there were several indoor and outdoor training areas inside the Hottan compound. She walked past two more training grounds and into the third. No one was inside; she was early again. Upon checking her watch, she learned that it was only a quarter till eight.

The training ground was a simple place, with some posts stuck into the ground at certain lengths. The place was bordered by trees except for entry. There were some tree stumps near one side, which Megumi headed towards and sat down on. It was nice that day, fairly bright and with a slight breeze. Though it seemed like a nice place, she felt a bit lonely here as she sat on the stump and held her lunch on her lap. _I hope someone else gets here soon, _she thought. She stared determinedly at the ground, refusing herself the privilege of moping. When she heard the sound of approaching feet, she looked up. She smiled when she recognized the boy in the entranceway.

"Hi, Lee-kun," she called to him. Lee smiled and came towards her, carrying a box of his own.

"Good morning, Megumi-chan! How are you this morning?"

"Oh, fine, I guess." She shrugged. "What about you?"

"I'm fine, as well," he told her. "I was training all night so that I could be prepared for the test today."

"Me, too." She looked at the ground, trying to think of something to say.

"So, do you think that you're ready for the test?" Lee inquired.

"As ready as I'll ever be," she told him, and he agreed with a vigorous head nod.

A few minutes later, they were joined by Neji, and on the stroke of eight by Megumi's watch, a kunai raced in front of the trio's eyes and lodged itself into one of the posts. Megumi blinked. _Is that all? A kunai? Where's Gai-sensei? _ She, and the two boys, looked around before edging closer to the knife. Lee stood directly in front of it, his hand on his chin thoughtfully.

"But where is Gai-sensei?" he asked. As if to answer his question, a green figure appeared out of nowhere and made contact with his face. Lee, also becoming a colored blur, and the figure flew across the training ground.

"Dynamic Entry!" the thing shouted in Gai's voice. Neji and Megumi watched, she with shock and he with the usual indifference, as the blurred lines stilled to reveal Gai standing over Lee, who was on the ground.

"Always be prepared, my youthful students!" he called out, giving them a large thumbs up. Lee stood, appearing beyond dazzled.

"Um…Good morning, sensei?" Megumi said, uncertainly. _Maybe Takara's right, she thought. Maybe Gai-sensei really _is_ insane! _

"And good morning to you, most youthful Megumi-chan!" He smiled at the girl, whose face grew red. "Now, who is ready for the test?"

When none of the students answered immediately, Gai said, "Very well! Follow me!"

He sped away from the training grounds. Megumi and the other students looked after him. _But he just got here! Why is he running off all of a sudden? This makes no sense whatsoever. _Suddenly, Lee took off in a run. "Wait for us, Gai-sensei!"

Megumi looked at Neji, who shrugged nonchalantly and sped off. Megumi followed suit quickly, running hard to catch up with her teammates. Gai lead them for a while into a more secluded area of the village where he abruptly stopped. Behind Gai and Lee, who had already arrived, Megumi saw a wall of thick shrubbery with a black hole inside it. She stopped running when she reached Lee's side, and she almost fell over. Hottan Megumi did not like to run; usually, when she did, she had the unlucky habit of tripping over anything nearby, whether it was a rock, a stick, a root, another person or her own feet. Less damage was caused to her and the surrounding area the slower she went.

"Now that we are all here, I shall explain your test. Inside this doorway, there is an amazing obstacle course put together by myself. The three of you are to try to reach the end of the course, where I will be waiting for you." He smiled grandly. "I wish you all the best of luck!" He was gone in a puff of smoke, and the three genin were, once again, left standing alone.

Megumi looked at others. "Do you think the three of us should team up?" she inquired, sounding a little timid. She was not entirely confident that she could get through this by herself, and three was better than one. "If we pass, we'll all be on the same team. I think we might need the practice of working together." At the imperious glance of the Hyuuga, Megumi felt a bizarre urge to quiver. She was relieved when he turned away and started into the darkness.

"Fine. Just don't slow me down," he told the pair behind him. They hurried after the pale-eyed boy and into the new place.

* * *

Maito Gai was not the fool everyone thought that he was. He was, at times, a bit close to being that fool, though he would never admit it (for that would be another victory for his rival, Kakashi, who had told him countless times in years gone by that he was an idiot). He knew and accepted the fact that his beliefs and systems seemed rather ridiculous to many. But Gai was not entirely foolish: he knew the many virtues of a shinobi, and one of them that he never forgot to honor was that a shinobi should always be prepared and well informed. The night before his test, he had done a great deal to learn about his students.

Hyuuga Neji was a prodigy, the most gifted of his age that had been seen in his clan in generations. He was intelligent and had made excellent grades at the academy. His father had died when he was young after a certain incident with Kumo shinobi, and his training so far had been left up to his uncle. He was the silent type, rather mature for his age, and somewhat bitter by the accounts of his former teachers. Though he never spoke disrespectfully to the teachers themselves, he had been known to scoff at the other children. He was a firm believer in destiny and had very definite ideas about power and failure.

Hottan Megumi was an intelligent child. Her only true problems seemed to be a lack of coordination which had limited her ability in hand to hand combat and a lack of confidence. Her father and mother had both been shinobi; her mother had been dead for nearly seven years and her father had been missing in action for almost four. She was the next in line for leadership in her clan, after her sister. She was the academy's bookworm, almost never seen without a thick novel of sorts at her desk. She had always been quiet, only speaking when she was asked a question, and had often been the target of bullies as such.

But it was Rock Lee that he had the most interest in. The boy reminded him of a younger version of himself, which was one of the reasons why he had specifically requested to teach him. He could not find out much about the child's home life. No one seemed to know who his father was, and his mother drank regularly. He had enrolled himself into the academy, his mother not seeming to care about her son's future career. It was unknown if she was obsessive; if she was, he had never told anyone. He was energetic and not easy to discourage, always eager to answer questions more than once until he knew the answer. His dream was far-fetched but he was willing to go the extra mile to see it through, a trait that Gai admired greatly.

Anyone could see that his new pupils were quite the unusual match. It would seem that it would be difficult to get them on the same page. But Gai had faith in them. He was confident that they would pass this test and all others to come.

* * *

The entire place seemed to be a shrubbery cave, surely full of unseeable obstacles and traps. Bits of light filtered through between the gaps in the leaves, though the place was overly dark. The ground was hard under head feet, and she concluded that it was hard dirt underfoot instead of grass. It was so quite in the course, and she shivered and tried to keep close to the boys ahead of her. The place was eerie. She touched the bush wall with the tips of her fingers, but it did not last long.

"Don't touch anything," Neji said sharply ahead of her. She jerked her hand away from the wall quickly. _He must have the Byakugan activated, _she realized. "Certain traps can only be activated from touching certain places on the walls." Megumi stuffed her hands in her jacket pocket and walked a little faster.

They continued along the narrow way without encountering a trap for the first ten minutes. _Well, this isn't very hard, _Megumi thought. _Maybe it won't be so bad after all. _

"Slow down a bit," Neji called. "There's a vine stretched across the way that triggers something, so be careful back there."

Unfortunately, his warning was too late. Lee had bumped Neji, causing the leader of their single file line strait into the activator. They all stopped in their tracks, waiting for the trap to hit them. But everything was still and silent and they made to step again.

The sound of wind caught Megumi's ear, and she turned to see that a large tree trunk was swinging towards them, tied around the middle with rope so that it swung like a pendulum. It was excellently camouflaged so that it was nearly invisible among the greenery. It was moving fast, practically a blur heading straight for them. _No! _She gasped.

"Get down!" she cried, pushing Lee into Neji before dropping onto her stomach. Like a line of dominos, they both hit the ground in front of her. She heard the whoosh as it swung over their heads and back again. When they could no longer hear it, they each stood up. "That was close," Megumi panted. She felt a cold sweat dripping down her forehead.

"Yes," Lee agreed. He sounded out of breath, too. "I'm starting to think that maybe this will not be so easy."

Megumi couldn't have agreed more.


	4. Pressure

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_**Naruto**_**. I don't have enough money to buy it…**

**This chapter is officially dedicated to everyone who has favorited, added this story to their alerts, and/or rated. That really is a huge confidence boost. So, I thought I'd reply to all of last chapter's reviews: **

**kibafangirl11: Yeah, I know it's short, but hopefully, this one will be nice and long. I'm not making any promises on that one. I do think that I'll do a time skip to the chunin exams soon; I'm thinking after this one and one more, but it might be the next chapter.**

**Ume Midori: I'm thrilled that you like it. It makes me so happy that people like my stories! Also, Megumi is a Japanese word/name that means blessing. It is a pretty cool name, isn't it?**

**Kyori-hime: I'm sorry that I haven't written much; it's been a little difficult because my computer is having difficulties constantly and I'm getting tons of homework lately. (Darn you, Geometry!) But I doubt that I will ever abandon this story. Everything is in my head; I just need to type it. **

**So, I have a special request: I want to know what people think of Megumi so far. I mean, I know that so far, I haven't put in much about her past, but I want to know what people think of her so far. This is really important. Please say what you really think; you won't hurt my feelings at all.

* * *

**

"I hate obstacle courses," Megumi heard herself moping aloud as she and her teammates continued their efforts on finishing Gai's crazy test. So far, Lee had activated a string of exploding tags, the group had fallen into a virtually unavoidable pit trap, Megumi had gotten herself ensnared in a sticky artificial spider web, and some how or another, a large beehive had also found its way onto the maze's floor and promptly been stepped on. After being singed, falling several feet down, becoming tangled, and being stung, Megumi had lost a great deal of her social inhibitions.

She didn't think that it mattered now. She could imagine how she looked. She had strings of glue in her hair. Her pants were practically dirt encrusted, and her legs were skinned from her hem down. She had taken off and tied her jacked around her waist. She had lost her hair clip and moved her headband so it was worn like a loose necklace. Her right arm had been burned and the left had been stung. Her bangs were thick with sweat, and she felt like she had dirt on every square inch of her body. She hadn't known that it was possible to put on deodorant and smell as bad as she did.

Lee and Neji hardly looked better than she did. In fact, they were much the same, except that neither had glue in his hair. Neji had managed to avoid the bees for the most part, but Megumi could see a suspicious lump on his left cheek that had swollen roughly to the size of a marble and seemed to be getting larger. _I hope he's not allergic to bee stings, _she thought suddenly, wondering if she should have shielded him before running herself. She turned to look at Lee and noticed that he seemed okay, other than the gash that had taken residence on his left leg.

"Stop complaining," Neji commanded at the front of their line. "We're almost at the end. " His tone was as sour as Megumi had ever heard it. The last time he had ever used that tone during the academy days was once when someone had inquired about his family. She was in no mood for his bitterness at the moment; she merely rolled her eyes at him. "I saw that!" he hissed ahead of her. Megumi huffed.

_Freaking Hyuuga, _she thought haughtily. _Thinks he can tell me what to say, thinks he can see everything I do! Well, I don't care who he thinks he is, he can't see my thoughts. I'd like to see him try._

"I think that this is the last obstacle, Megumi-chan," Lee whispered back to her. "How long can it be, after all?"

Neji stopped quickly; Lee bumped into him, and Megumi bumped into Lee. She fell onto her butt in the dirt, scowled irritably as Lee went to stand beside Neji. _We seriously need to work on this teamwork thing. How many times have we bumped like that?_ She scrambled to her feet and attempted to dust herself off. "Why'd you stop, Neji-san?" She peered ahead of her in the darkness, and as she took a few steps forward to stand by Neji, she saw why.

"Ah, excellent timing, students!" Gai cried, and she saw his smile clearly in the darkness. "I have just finished my lunch. Now, what you have guessed is probably true: I, myself, am the last obstruction on your path! I shall even tell you the rules to this last challenge: behind me, there is the exit. Your objective is to get past me and out of the maze. If even one of you makes it out, then we call it a success and you all graduate." Even from a distance, Megumi could see his cocky grin. "But if I catch and bind all three of you at any one time, you are all sent back to the academy." He suddenly whipped out a coil of rope. "And we shall begin…now!"

And then he disappeared, and the students were left, blinking around themselves. She was starting to feel panicked, as if there was someone else inside of her head that was going crazy, a little voice screaming, '_What? Now?! Where did he go?' _Then, the voice came out of her mouth, and she blurted, "What do we do now?"

Lee looked at her and grinned daringly. "I say that we make the first move!" He bolted towards the small window of light and was immediately cast down upon by the green blur that they know recognized as Gai-sensei. Megumi's eyes widened and she shook herself before going after him, not caring what Neji did then.

"Lee!" she called, jogging towards the blur of white and green at consisted of her sensei and teammate. Lee was frantically trying to stay away from Gai, who was already wielding a long piece of rope as if he were going to strangle them all. The boy ducked, but the man didn't miss a beat and soon had the first loop around his abdomen. His arms constricted and unable to really move, Lee kicked at the man, but couldn't stand. He was on his knees when Megumi reached the pair, and Gai wasn't stopping for anything. She couldn't think of what to do; finally, she remembered her shinobi tools. Taking out a silver shurikan and aiming swiftly, she tossed it as hard as she could at the staunchly held piece of rope coming from Gai's hand. The rope frayed a bit. She considered throwing another, unwilling to get too close to them, but she would have to throw a lot of throwing stars before the rope would cut that way. Suddenly, she got the bright idea, and she jumped on Gai's back, catching him in a two-armed chokehold and trying to pull back. The rope slid from his hands, and they went to her arms, trying to pull her off. She didn't let go. She couldn't.

She looked around frantically. Where was Neji? Why wasn't he helping them? When she spotted him, she gasped involuntarily; the Hyuuga was sneaking along the side of the maze while Gai was distracted. She willed him to hurry, but it was too late: he had been spotted. Gai, in a sudden burst of strength, jerked her arms from his own neck and reared, and threw off of him. She hit the shrub wall, beside Lee, amazed by the man's strength. _He could have done that anytime he wanted to, _she thought, bewildered. _He was only pretending to struggle. _She groaned. _Of course! He's a jounin, after all. _

Lee mistook her groan of realization for one of pain. "Megumi-chan, are you okay? Do you need help?"

She shook her head and stood up. "I'm okay." Taking out her kunai, she worked on cutting him free. She looked towards Gai and Neji; the prodigy was doing surprisingly well for a new genin. She turned to Lee again. "What about you?"

The ropes fell away from his arms, and he grinned. "I am fine." He also stood and stretched a bit. "We must help Neji! Come on, Megumi-chan!"

Megumi sighed and closed her eyes. "Lee-kun, we should make a plan before we do any-," she started, opening her eyes again to notice that he was already gone. "Thing." She finished before walking forward into the middle of the clearing so that she could see well. Gai sensei finished binding Neji and tossed him to the side, and Lee came at the man from the other side. Lee went in with renewed fighting spirit, a battle cry on his lips as he swung at the man. He missed, and Gai retaliated, a kick sending Lee into submission. More rope was in his hands, and he began to tie the dark-haired boy up.

"Megumi-chan!" Lee cried, trying without success to escape from under Gai's foot. "Do something!" He was shoved face into the dirt, and he lifted his head again. "Quickly!"

A new voice caught here ear. "Megumi, don't just stand there! Help us!" Neji yelled, trying to squirm out of the bindings.

She didn't know what to do. Should she go cut Neji free, or should she get Gai off of Lee? If so, how would she do it? Her golden eyes flickered back and forth, and she noticed that the exit was wide open. _Oh, great, _she thought, _what do I do? Do I help Neji, or do I get Gai? If I get Lee, then _I'll_ be tied up. But Gai-sensei's fast; he'd be on me before I got to Neji! _She was sure that she was going to have a nervous breakdown; Gai-sensei wouldn't have to tie her up. _Or maybe I should-_

"Megumi-chan!" Lee hollered.

"_Megumi_!" Neji yelled.

"Stop pressuring me!" she screamed back. She had to make a split second choice, and she did. Her choice was to run past both of her teammates, hurling herself towards the exit.

Maybe she would have made it. Maybe she wouldn't have. But Hottan Megumi would never know if she would have made it to the end of the maze, because three feet away, she tripped, and the earth came crashing up to her face. Then Gai was there, and she felt cord constricting her diaphragm, and she knew that it was all over.

* * *

They had walked back to training grounds twenty six solemnly. Well, at least the students had been solemn; Gai had bragged all the way back. Megumi had been torn between the desire to cry and throw up as Neji glared at her with intensity she had never known and Lee fingered his forehead protector forlornly. It was all her fault, she thought over and over as they arrived back and each one picked up their bento. Megumi opened it and ate a bit of rice before gagging and placing it on the ground. She didn't deserve to eat.

Gai-sensei allowed the boys to finish eating and put their boxes away before looking at them. "Alas, you did not pass the final test," he said sadly. "And I had such high hopes for the three of you."

The lilac-haired girl could no longer stand it; she burst into tears. "I-I'm sorry, G-Gai sensei!" she gasped. "P-p-please don't fail N-Neji and L-Lee. They didn't do anything wr-wrong! It was all me! I shouldn't have been selfish and ran! I should have helped my teammates!" She sniffed. "I don't care if I don't pass! Someone else can have my spot on the team! I won't ever go back to the academy or anything if you don't want me too. Just please don't send them back to the academy!"

Gai looked at her for a long moment. Then, instead of yelling or telling her that she was a disgrace (which, according to the ninja rules, she was), he smiled at her fondly. "Thank you for owning up to your mistakes, young lady. That is a sign of not only a good shinobi, but a good person. And do not worry, Megumi-chan. No one is going to be failed."

"Not even me?" Megumi sniffed, wiping her tears on her jacket sleeve.

"Not even you." Gai said, still smiling. Megumi thought for a moment that she might hug her sensei.

"Excuse me," Neji interrupted. "You said that if we were all tied up, that we would be failed and sent back to the academy. And we failed." His eyes were stormy. "But we're not being sent back to the academy. Is that right?"

"That is correct."

"Oh, thank you, Gai-sensei!" Lee cried, tears forming in his eyes. He threw himself at the man, and they did a odd hug. Suddenly, Lee stopped crying. "But why aren't you failing us? Like Neji-san pointed out, we did fail the test. Why are you passing us?"

"I've decided that, even though you did not pass my test, that you are worthy of being shinobi. You seem to be capable enough, though you are not truly skilled. I admit, I have grown fond of the three of you, and I do believe that you would make fine shinobi under the proper leadership!" He gave them another pose. "And I believe that I myself am the only person fit to take on the challenge of turning the three of you into a team of elite shinobi."

The students merely blinked at him as he droned on and on about exactly why he didn't fail them. Megumi didn't pay much attention; all she could think of was that they had not failed, though they had screwed up. She merely nodded. _He's going to give us a chance. Me, and Neji, and Lee…we're really ninja now! We're a team now. _She grinned. She liked the way that the thought felt. _I'm part of a team. _It made her feel giddy and happy, despite the fact that she was caked in dirt and sweat.

"Meet me in front of the village's eastern gate tomorrow morning at seven sharp. We shall do some light exercising before we take on our first mission."

The students nodded, and then everyone went their separate ways.

* * *

Entering the clan compound, she wasn't sure what she would do with her afternoon. Well, the first thing to do would obviously be to get cleaned up. She decided that she would head to the Konoha Library, and maybe to her favorite bookstore, and look for books and scrolls on shinobidom and medical jutsu. She couldn't simply forget about her books because she now had people that she was fond of and loyal to. Her books had been there for her since she had been able to read, which had been since she was three years old. When her mother was dying, she had read in the hospital room to keep herself from concentrating on the smell of death that hung over the room. When her father and Takara were on missions, she had read to pretend to herself that the house wasn't empty. When she was in school, she had read so that she could ignore the mean children and their taunts. Her books and the characters in them were her only friends for a long time, but now that she had real people for friends, she was too attached to them to give them up.

She was halfway to her house when something smacked into the back of her head. It stuck in her hair, and Megumi reached back to find a shurikan made of cardboard. Behind her, a voice whispered, "Oh, crud."

She turned to see that three of her younger cousins, a six-year-old boy named Katsu, an eight-year-old girl named Aika, and a ten-year-old boy named Isamu staring at her, wide eyed. The three siblings all had blue hair and gold eyes. She extended her arm and dangled the fake throwing star at them with two fingers. They looked at her as if afraid she would yell at them, and it was a bit disturbing. _That's just part of being part of the head family, _she reminded herself. _If they mess up in front of me, they expect that I'll have a temper tantrum. I probably look a bit scary, too. _

She smiled at them. "Do you want this back?" she asked cheerfully.

The first child to recover from their shocked state was Aika. The little tomboy grinned and said to the boys, "See? I told you Megumi-san is nice!" She ran the short distance between the trio and Megumi and took the cardboard shurikan. "Thanks, Megumi-san!" She grinned, and then looked at her curiously. "Where have you been? You're all dirty!"

"I've been training today, Aika-chan." Megumi beamed at the younger girl. "I'm a shinobi now, and I had my first team meeting."

"Aika!" Katsu called anxiously. "Come on! We have to finish the game before dinner!"

"Okay!" Aika yelled back. She looked at Megumi again. "Thanks again, Megumi-san! Congratulations on being a shinobi now!" She ran back to her friends, and Megumi walked home.

* * *

It felt so good to be clean. The white sundress had never been as loved as it was when she slipped it on after the longest shower she thought that she'd every had. She took her shinobi clothes and put them with some other items in the washing machine before she walked out the door, carrying a small wallet in her pocket and a small drawstring bag on her back. Her hair was wet when she left the house; she decided that she would let it dry on its own.

Her trip to the bookstore was pleasant, and so was her time spent in the shop. She looked around the non-fiction section for a while, but she was disappointed that she couldn't find anything on medical jutsu. The place usually had anything and everything she could think of on how-to manuals. Refusing to quit and return home, she headed towards the village library. They did actually have some books and scrolls on medical jutsu, and she checked out a small pile of them. This pile was shoved into her bag and she walked around the village humming.

_Konoha looks so pretty at twilight, _she mused to herself, smiling as she walked. _I should take a nice, long walk ….After all, it's not like I'm in a hurry to go home and eat instant ramen by myself. _She looked at her watch. _I've got three hours until the compound doors are locked for the night. I walk around the entire village and back before that. _She did take a walk, strolling through Konoha and by the training grounds.

As she approached training ground twenty-six, she heard the sound of someone talking. The voice was familiar, and as she got close enough to really understand it, she identified it as Lee's voice. Curiously, she stood in the entranceway and looked inside.

His back was toward her, and she could see that he was jumping rope furiously. He counted, and she was shocked to hear the number two hundred. From the dried blood on his ankle, she could tell that he hadn't left when she did. The rope went around once more, and Lee tripped. He got back up and started again, counting from one. Astounded, she silently sat on the ground and watched.

It was like she could sit there forever and watch him skip rope. Every time he fell, he would get back up and start again from zero. He simply wouldn't stay down, and it shocked her. _How is he doing that? _She pondered. It finally became apparent to Megumi that he was counting to three hundred. He would get close –one time to two hundred ninety-nine- before falling. Two hours and fifteen minutes after she had arrived, he made it to three hundred and promptly collapsed. She waited for him to rise, but when he didn't after a few long moments, she grew worried. She stood up and walked towards the boy, kneeling down beside him.

"Lee?" she murmured. "Lee-kun, wake up. Come on, Lee. Wake up." She shook him gently, and he finally opened his eyes. He jumped up, startled to see her there.

"Megumi-chan?" he asked. "What are you doing here? How long have you been here?"

"Oh, I was taking a walk and I heard you over here. I came to see what was going on, and I was just watching you for a while. I've been here for a couple of hours," she said, brushing it off. "I didn't think that it'd be a good idea to let you sleep out here. It's kind of cold here."

"Oh. Thank you, Megumi-san." He still seemed confused. Though he probably couldn't see it in the dark, she scowled. _Does everything I do confuse him?_

"Have you been here all night, Lee?" she asked, though she knew the answer. In the moonlight, she saw him nodding.

"Yes. I always train in the evenings. By the way, do you know what time it is?"

"Yeah, I have a watch on." She squinted at her watch. "It's about seven thirty."

"I need to go home," Lee said. "My mother will be worried about me."

"I need to go home, too." Megumi agreed. "The doors lock at eight, but they might close them early." They both walked to the entrance way and down the narrow row of training areas. They stopped at the end; Megumi hung by the south of the street and Lee towards the north.

"Good night, Megumi-chan." Lee said, turning away and running down the street. She watched him go for a moment, wondering how he could do that after spending most of the day training.

"See you tomorrow, Lee-kun!" she called after him. His silhouette turned to face her, and she waved. He nodded, and they both headed their separate ways.

* * *

**So, I've been trying to keep Megumi from being a mary sue. In this one, I tried to give her some real human things, such as: a) she gets irratable when she's tried and frustrated, b) she's kind of spoiled, and c) she doesn't do well under pressure. Does that help her character at all? Did I express it clearly enough? Thoughts, please! **


	5. Dogs And Their Tricks

**Disclaimer: I own Megumi, oh, and Lee's mom. **

**So, I decided that I would hurry and finish this one up, to celebrate Lee's birthday on Nov. 27. It's not great, but it provides a good backstory of Lee's life before Gai-sensei and Team Gai, and I like that. The next chapter will cover a long period of time; it'll be the Team Gai "Training Montage" and it should be a good one. After that comes the best part: it'll be time for the Chunin exams, and we'll see interaction between the Rookie Nine, the Sand Siblings, and Team Gai for the first time. I'm really excited. **

**_Previously on A Kind Word: Gai-sensei's test. Megumi interacts with clan members, goes book shopping, and catches Lee training after hours. _**

* * *

When Lee woke up the next morning, his bedroom was filled with a cold, grey light. He looked out the window and nearly groaned. Storm clouds did not bode well for his team's first day of training and their first mission. But he shrugged and got out of bed. _I mustn't think like that, _he thought determinedly. _I must stay positive! _He prepared for training by getting dressed in his usual clothes and tying his hair back. As he picked up his forehead protector, he felt like he was seeing it with new eyes. It really was his, and no one was threatening to take it away. He grinned as he tied it securely and left the room.

As he entered the kitchen, he found it nearly exactly the way that he had left it the night before. Chairs had been knocked over the knight before, and a number of glass bottles littered the floor. The sink had been left running, and a ceramic plate had been smashed on the floor. In the midst of it all there was his mother, leaning on the low table, one arm under her head and one still clutching a bottle.

Rock Mai had once been a beautiful woman. Her inky hair had once been long and silky, her amber eyes had once shined and her pale skin had once glowed. She had been the life of every party, with a voice like a bird's. However, that was all a thing of the past. Mai's life had been upturned when she was sixteen and it was reveled that she was pregnant, without knowing who the child's father was. She had been thrown out of the house by her parents and been forced to work two jobs to take care of her son. She was a reluctant and unaffectionate mother. She was unhappy, and she spiraled downwards into alcohol addiction in the twelve years following Lee's birth. As far as Mai was concerned, the baby boy that was Rock Lee had ruined his mother's life.

Today, like most other days, Lee simply cleaned the room. The bottles (all empty) were tossed into the trash, the broken glass swept off of the floor. Gently, he took the empty container from his mother's hand and put it with the others in the trash. The spilled alcohol was mopped up with a towel, and before he turned the water off, he started a pot of tea and then began to make two omelets. When breakfast was ready, he shook his mother softly.

"Kaa-san?" he asked. "Wake up, Kaa-san. It's morning now. I have breakfast ready now." When she opened her sleep encrusted eyes and squinted at the boy, he grinned. "Good morning!"

"Eh? What time is it?" she asked groggily.

"It's a half past six in the morning, Kaa-san."

"Why did you wake me up so early?" she demanded.

"Don't you remember, Kaa-san? I have training today with my team." He reminded her patiently. He poured a cup of tea which she was handed. She grunted unthankfully.

"Oh year, that's right. You're doing that ninja thing, aren't you?" she said disdainfully. He nodded respectfully as he placed a plate in front of her. She frowned. "Eggs again?"

"Yes ma'am." _There's nothing else to cook, _he thought, getting his own plate and sitting across from her. _I will have to go grocery shopping this evening. _

He ate for the next few minutes. His mother complained, and he took it in silence. After all, he had ruined her life. Finally, he took and washed his plate. He turned back to tell his mother that he was leaving, only to find her asleep once again. He sighed and closed the door softly behind him.

He approached the village gates at the same time that Megumi did from the opposite direction. He could spot her easily, purple locks and golden eyes and her lime green jacket. She stood out in a way that he didn't, black haired and eyed and black and white clothed. But he knew that she saw him when he raised her arm and started waving, running at the same time. As they drew close, both of them smiled.

"Good morning, Megumi-chan," he said, continuing to smile at her.

"Hi, Lee-kun," she replied. "Nice weather isn't it?" she asked, her eyes looking at him in an impish light that he had never seen before.

"Delightful," he answered, and she laughed. _Megumi seems to be in a very good mood today, _he noted. "So, are you ready for Gai-sensei's training today?"

Her face became speculative. "I'm not quite sure," she said truthfully, "I guess it all just depends on what Gai-sensei's idea of light training is."

Lee nodded. "I feel that way as well. But whatever it is, it is sure to be helpful in our training as shinobi!" Megumi agreed, and as they conversed, Neji appeared quietly. The pair left him alone; he didn't seem to wish to talk with them.

A loud pop was heard, and Maito Gai once again stood behind him in all his glory. "Good morning, most youthful pupils! And how are we this morning?" Before Lee could answer, Gai had already continued. "Very well. As I said yesterday, we are going to do some light exercising today before our mission." He gave them a pose. "A hundred laps around the village, on the double!"

Neji raised an eyebrow. "Fifty laps? Around the entire village?" he demanded skeptically.

The oddest thing happened: Gai seemed to catch on fire, even though it was apparent that he wasn't feeling a thing. "Yes! There is no way around hard work for those who wish to truly harness the power of youth!" Lee looked at Megumi and Neji, who both seemed to be a bit surprised. "Run! Run NOW!" Gai shouted, causing the astounded students to hurry into running.

* * *

She enjoyed herself for a lap. By two laps, she was starting to find the assignment easier said than done. By three laps, she would have loved to take a break, and at four laps, she was aware that this was easily the hardest thing that she had ever done. Megumi was miserable; her throat burned, and her breath came in lung-ripping gasps, and she found herself sobbing as she went in for her fifth lap. Hitting a dewy patch of grass, she found herself hurtling towards the ground. She closed her eyes before she hit, and was surprised to find a hand gripping her wrist. The person pulled her back up straight. She turned to see Neji's white eyes staring into hers. He dropped her arm, and she smiled at him.

"Thanks, Neji-san," she panted, before leaning foreword onto her knees.

"You have to watch where you're going, Megumi," the Hyuuga replied stonily before turning and running away. Megumi continued to catch her breath. _I didn't know that I was so out of shape, _she thought.

Behind her, Gai was watching. "No slacking, Megumi-chan!" he called ahead.

"Sorry, sensei," the girl yelled. She sighed and straightened up, taking off again. Almost immediately, her lungs burned. She grimaced, but didn't stop again for quite a while. She had a long way to go if she hoped to complete her last forty-six laps.

* * *

As the exhausted students panted on the ground, Gai waved a thin folder around in the air. "While we all catch our breath, I shall read the profile of our first team mission!" He made a show of opening the folder to a new page. "Our first clients are: the Inuzuka clan! Our first reward is: five thousand ryo each! First mission is: ah! Dog walking!"

Neji sighed. "Can't the Inuzuka walk their own dogs?" he complained, crossing his arms. He was comically red-faced after all of the running. He reminded Megumi of a tomato. She almost smiled, until a thought crossed her mind: _I probably don't look much better._

"Neji-kun! That is a most un-youthful attitude to take before the undertaking of a mission!" Gai reprimanded, rolling up the file and whacking Neji upside the head with it. Megumi suppressed a giggle as Gai once again smooth out the papers. "Do you have any idea how many animals are owned by the Inuzuka? They couldn't possibly walk every one of them, and the ones that aren't owned by specific members and whose owners are unable are to be exercised by us."

"That sounds reasonable," Megumi said. "I think that it's a great first mission." _The Inuzuka are very pet-oriented. There can't be many dogs that will need to be walked, _she reasoned, and smiled. How hard could this be, after all? It was only dog walking.

"Yes! We can do it!" Lee exclaimed, pumping his fist in the air.

Gai struck a pose. "That's the spirit, my students!" He shot Neji a look. "You could learn something from your teammates, Neji-kun," he said sagely. "But for now, let us make our way to the Inuzuka compound! Team Gai away!"

He sprinted off into the sunset, and reluctantly, the three students sprinted after him. It was not hard to keep up; every few blocks, Gai would stop and yell at them to "keep up their youth." Only Lee responded to this cry, with a joyful, "We will Sensei! We will keep up with our wondrous youth!"

They reached the Inuzuka compound in little time, and they followed Gai through the gates. Megumi had been here before, on some kind of official clan business when she was younger. Her parents, and eventually, her sister, had always made her play with the son of the Inzuka's leader, who asked her every time, without fail, that they saw each other why she had such a funny hair color.

The leader of the clan, Tsume, was waiting there for them. She looked wild, her dark hair in disarray, and her eyes fierce. Megumi had always felt uneasy around Tsume-sama. Maybe it was the way she always looked so wild, with dark, messy hair and fierce eyes. Maybe it was the strange red marks that, on Tsume-sama, seemed a bit like blood dripping down her cheeks. She grinned her doggish smile at Megumi.

"It's about time you showed up!" she laughed loudly, causing Megumi to flinch. Tsume didn't notice and continued to cackle. "Alright. Let's get to your mission." She led them towards the compound's kennels. The room was like a giant stable, but instead of stalls, there were large cages that were closed to the outside. The dogs all pawed at the cages, barking at the team. They were huge dogs, bigger than any Megumi had ever seen, all except for one, a little white puppy with brown ears.

"Okay, so here they are. We've got a dozen dogs to be walked, not including Akamaru here," Tsume told them, indicating the little dog, who barked at the mention of his own name. "They'll need to be walked and brought back here. The walk should last a minimum of an hour but a maximum of two and a half hours. I'll help you leash them, but you'll have to get them out of here yourselves."

Each dog was placed on a leash, and when leashing them, Tsume told the team and their sensei the name of each canine. There was Natsuko, Kaoru, Shiroi, Zen, Aiko, Hoshino, Akira, Haruto, Kame, Koinu, Koneko (_Someone actually named a dog after a cat?_), and Tenshi. Megumi tried to memorize each name, but she couldn't match the names with the dogs. The only one that she knew was Akamaru, and only because hew as the smallest. The dogs panted and wagged, and Tsume stuffed the leashes in Gai's hand before walking away.

'So," Neji stated. "How are we going to divide them up? We've got thirteen dogs and three of us. What are we going to do?"

"Well," Lee started. "Two of us could have six each, and the other can just have one. Or one could have six, and one could have five, and one could have two. Or maybe, one can have four, one can have four, and the other can have five, or-,"

"I have a recommendation for you," Gai told them. "Lee-kun and Neji-kun can both have five, and Megumi-chan can have three, including Akamaru."

"Why does she get the lighter loud?" Neji said, motioning towards Megumi. He looked annoyed.

"Why, Neji-kun! I am surprised at you!" Gai exclaimed, his eyes wide. "Megumi-chan is a lady! She should be treated as a delicate flower, and should never have to work as hard as men folks like the three of us!"

_Thanks, Gai-sensei, for that message on sexism, _Megumi thought, sweatdropping. _I'm not going to say anything. I'll let the 'men folks' work this one out by themselves. I'm just the kunoichi, after all. I shouldn't have to think. _

* * *

They, in the end, went with Gai's plan, and the jounin disappeared mysteriously off to do whatever he did whenever he wasn't with them before telling them to be back in two hours. Megumi was given Akamaru and two of the other dogs, one brown and one black. The boys, meanwhile, struggled with every other dog. Soon, however, they were out on the streets of Konoha, trotting a long pleasantly. Relatively, they were good dogs, but they enjoyed giving their human escorts a nice run around. Neji and Lee were pulled and slammed and skirted and everything else as the dogs ran. But Megumi, her dogs being slowed by the smaller Akamaru and sheer lack of numbers, got to see every obstacle coming and had time to duck.

After an hour, Akamaru got tired. The puppy had trouble picking up his feet, and Megumi grew worried. _Poor thing's exhausted, _she thought, _Should I take him back? No, that would mean taking the others back, too, and they're not done yet. He's small. Maybe I could carry him? _She decided to try. Kneeling to the ground, she called Akamaru to her. She took the collar off of his neck and picked him up. He snuggled himself into her jacket, and she had the feeling that it wasn't the first time he had done that.

Lee took one look at her with the pup sticking out of her jacket and laughed. Even Neji smiled ruefully.

"Megumi-chan," Lee chortled, "Why is Akamaru inside your jacket?"

"Well, Akamaru got tired. I'm only giving him a little ride." She smiled. "He's really light, actually, and easy to carry. And this way, he won't get trampled, and-"

Neji smirked at her. "You need to get a dog, Megumi."

Megumi smiled, too. "Yeah. Maybe I do." She looked down at the dog, whose head was down and who seemed to be sleeping.

At the same time, the dogs in Lee's care jerked, anxious to move, anxious to run. When the preteens continued to chat, they pawed at the ground and strained. When it became apparent that they weren't going anywhere any time soon, they seemed to communicate with each other, each dog nodding before they joined forces and made a group attempt. It was successful, and each ripped off down the street, their leashes dragging behind them.

The students turned and saw them. Megumi was frozen, and it seemed like she could do nothing but stare after them. Then, Lee was yelling for them to comeback, tearing down the crowded street. Both the lavender-haired girl and the lilac-eyed boy stared after him. Then, Megumi finally spoke.

"Neji-san?"

"What?"

"Do you think that we should go after him?"

"I guess so."

They followed their teammate down the thickly crowded streets, until finally, they caught up with the black-haired boy. Lee had fallen to his knees and was currently sulking in the street. The dogs that Neji and Megumi held licked at his face, but he didn't respond.

"Lee-kun?" Megumi asked. Her brows furrowed in concern. "Are you alright?"

"No," he said crossly. "I let everyone down! Tsume-san, the Inuzuka clan, you two, Gai-sensei….Everyone! Even the dogs!" He hung his head in shame.

Megumi sighed, not knowing the right thing to say. She looked at Neji pleadingly, and he sighed, too. He directed his sharp gaze to Lee.

"Lee," he said, narrowing his eyes at the other boy. "Get up." He then looked at Megumi, raising an eye brow and nodding at her.

_Oh! _Megumi thought suddenly. _I understand now. I need to add something to this. _She searched for the right addition to the conversation.

"Yeah, Lee-kun," she added, smiling. "It's not over yet, and the only way you let others down is by not trying. Come on. Get up, and we'll help you find the dogs. Right, Neji-san?"

He sighed, obviously put-out at the idea of being helpful. Megumi frowned at him, and he crossed his arms. "Yeah, I guess we will. But only because it would look bad if we failed our first mission."

Lee ignored the pessimistic comment, and stood up, a strange fire blazing in his dark eyes. "No! We shall not give up! We will find the dogs, and then we will head back to the Inuzuka compound! We will!"

"Great!" Megumi said, grinning. She felt relieved. _Thank Kami-sama that Lee's back to his upbeat self. I can handle stoic, self-righteous people and happy, determined people, but sad, listless people? Definitely something I'm not prepared for. _"So, what's the plan?"

"I can use my Byakugan to find some of them," Neji suggested prudishly. His arms remained crossed. Once again, Megumi got the distinct impression that he didn't like to be helpful, but ignored it. "But we should split up. I'll go that way. The two of you should make a plan or something." He started towards the indicated direction before pausing and turning. "I'll meet you in front of the Inuzuka compound."

"Good." She continued to smile, trying to think of another easy way to track the dogs. A thought suddenly occurred to her, and she crouched next to the dogs that she held the leashes.

"You guys are ninja hounds, right?" she asked.

Shockingly, the two dogs nodded and yipped in response. Lee looked at her strangely, but Megumi had a plan.

"And you're really good at tracking things, right?" she inquired.

"Do you think that you could, I don't know, smell the others that ran away?"

They yipped again. The dog closest to Megumi, a solid golden-brown beast with pointed ears, licked her hand gently. She petted his (her? Megumi didn't think it would be polite to check) head absently.

"Would you, please? It would be a lot of help," Lee asked, catching on quickly. The dog nearest him, a medium size, white animal with black splotches on his back, barked and licked the side of his face. "I think that's a yes," Lee said, wiping the slobber away.

"Excellent," the girl breathed. She thrust the leash of the spotted canine into Lee's hand. "You take this one, and I'll take the other two. You go north, and I'll go east. We'll each get as many as we can, then we'll meet Neji."

"Okay." Lee stood, and so did she. He nodded at her. "Good luck, Megumi-chan."

"You too, Lee-kun." They went off in different directions.

Things went smoothly after that.

Megumi found two dogs in the park, where they had successfully managed to tree a cat. They bayed at the poor animal for ages, and it took all of the strength that Megumi had to pull them away. The cat meowed its thanks as she dragged them away, still howling. The noise stopped almost as soon as they were out of the park, and the dogs trotted to the Inuzuka compound with little complaint or incident.

Lee found two more of them at the pound, frisking about in the water. It took him a while groping around in the water to find their leashes and make sure that they were secured nicely. He was very wet when he came out, but he dried quickly as he was yanked all the way back.

As for Neji, he found the remaining dog playing with a small child. Though the little boy protested, his mother was all too willing to have Neji take the discovered pet and the five others that Neji was handling away.

They met outside of the compound gates, and Gai greeted them heartily. "So," he asked mischeviously, "How was your first mission?"

"It wasn't as easy as some of us," Neji shot Megumi a look, "Thought it would be. Lee lost control of his group and we had to go chasing after them."

"And how did they get away?" Gai asked, looking at the genin knowingly. There was something in the superior gaze he directed at them that made Megumi want to fidget, and she couldn't look at him. She looked at Lee instead and noticed that he was looking uncomfortable, too.

"We were talking, Gai-sensei," he admitted slowly. "And I wasn't paying attention to the animals. I tried to chase after them, but they were too fast, and I almost gave up. But Neji-san and Megumi-chan helped me." He shot a grateful look at his teammates.

Gai nodded wisely. "You're learning about teamwork," he finally dictated. "And that's good. I'm proud of you all." He grinned brightly. "Your POWER OF YOUTH is growing! Now, let's go inside! These animals need to be returned to their owners!"

The students agreed and turned to go back inside. As they got closer to the kennels, Akamaru wiggled his way out of Megumi's jacket and ran away.

"No! Wait! Akamaru!" she called, running after him. "Come back, boy!" _Oh, no, _she thought, groaning inwardly. _It's never going to end, is it?_

She was stopped when, at the gate of the complex, she found a boy lying on the ground, obviously tackled by the little dog that licked his face enthusiastically. She sighed in relief loudly, causing the pair to look up.

"Oh,' the boy said. She recognized him now: Kiba Inuzuka. "You're Megumi, right? What're you doing here?"

"I had a mission walking dogs," she explained. She heard footsteps behind her and turned to see her team there, looking at her as if to tell her that they were ready to leave. She grinned and looked back to Kiba. "But it's over now, and we're going. By, Kiba-san."

They began to walk away as a group, but before they were out of earshot, Megumi heard Kiba calling her name. She turned, and, seeing the mischievous look in Kiba's eyes, she knew what he was going to say. Feeling empowered with her teammates and sensei beside her, she interrupted him.

"Don't even think about asking about my hair, Inuzuka Kiba."

* * *

_It's been a good day, _she decided later that night. After filling in Takara on every part of training and missions, she had been permitted to sneak away into the library for some reading. She sighed contentedly, opening the new book on medical jutsu she had bought the night before. _It's too bad that things can only get harder from here. _

_

* * *

_

**So, thoughts please? Not the best, I know, but please, tell me where I could improve. Also, can you tell that training is good for Megumi? She's becoming bolder at a fast pace. Do you think that it's too fast? How bold should she get, anyway? Do people like her all quiet and polite, or should I make her, you know, not so quiet and less formal? **

**_Next time on A Kind Word: Team Gai trains, Megumi learns more about her teammates, Lee gets a wardrobe change, and Neji deals with the insanity around him._**


End file.
